Retirement Watch Weekly
How You Buy Gold Matters
It’s no secret that gold’s been rising rapidly. But not all investors who saw this coming and sought to profit from it are doing well. Some investors bought shares of gold mining companies or mutual funds that do the same. Normally, that’s a good move. The mining companies usually rise more than the price of […]
Time to Buy Stocks?
With stocks in a downdraft and well below recent highs, it’s time to consider the unthinkable question: Is this a good time to add to your stock positions? Let’s look at two pieces of data. The first is the net flows of mutual funds. Investors have been pulling money out of equity mutual funds for […]
Surging Ahead of the Markets
July was a bad month for traditional investors. The S&P 500 lost about 2.5% for the last week and about 3% for the month. Other stock indexes, especially emerging markets did worse. We did better in our Retirement Watch portfolios. We sold the last of our traditional stock portfolios by July 14. While stocks were […]
The Numbers Behind Retirement
A lot has changed about retirement. What hasn’t changed during the years I’ve been helping people with their retirement plans is the level of misunderstanding about retirement. People continually are surprised by facts and insights that haven’t changed much for a while. Christine Benz of Morningstar collected 25 pieces of important data that tell a […]
Shopping for Higher Income from Annuities
Your work isn’t done after you decide to add immediate annuities to your retirement portfolio. Immediate annuities can enhance your retirement. They provide fixed income that’s guaranteed for life. You can buy annuities with payments that increase with inflation if you want. We explained the advantages of annuities in our April 2009, August 2010, and […]
Seeking Higher Yields for Safe Cash
The Federal Reserve is punishing savers. People who set money aside in safe, secure, liquid investments are losing purchasing power. The Fed is keeping short-term interest rates near zero. That means real yields (after inflation and taxes) are less than zero. Low interest rates aren’t good for some financial firms either. Yields on money market […]
What Your Will Can and Can’t Do for Your Estate Planning
A will is one of the most powerful documents you can write. A will can decide what happens to valuable property, even billions of dollars worth. It can decide who becomes the guardian of minor children, who controls a business or other entity, and how much of your wealth goes to the government. The will […]
Reconsidering the Role of 401(k)s in Your Estate Planning
Classic Estate Planning advice to youngsters entering the workforce is that they should sign up for the employer’s 401(k) plan and begin saving money for retirement. It’s time to reconsider that advice. I’m not questioning the first part of the advice. Youngsters should begin saving as soon as they start earning money. The question is […]
